About the Team
Finance Matters can answer all your questions
About us
Finance Matters is not your typical accounting firm
We are hands-on with our clients to help them manage their finance department.
The majority of companies struggle with staffing their finance departments. We strive to remove this pain from the owners/managers who are better served to focus on growing their business, not dealing with the headaches that come with trying to manage a group of accountants.
We help companies fill the roles properly. Typically, we start with growing/early-stage companies and provide them with our staff on a contract basis, from CFO services to Controller to Bookkeeper roles. As the company grows, we will replace the bookkeeper with a full-time hire, training and mentoring this person properly. As the company continues to grow, the Controller will probably need replacing. If we do our job correctly, we will have helped structure your company with a fully staffed, well-organized finance department. If at any stage, a hire isn’t the right fit, we can quickly fill that role with our staff member until a replacement is found – it is like a finance department safety net.
Serving the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Lower Mainland, we offer affordable, senior-level accounting services specializing in managing early-stage company finance departments.
Who We Are
The Team
Darren Battersby, CPA-CA
Managing Partner
Darren qualified as a Chartered Accountant in January 1997 articling with Vancouver-based Ellis Foster Chartered Accountants. He took his experience as an auditor, specializing in brokerage houses and entertainment companies, holding key roles in a number of growing and developing companies publicly listed and private enterprises. He relocated his family to Vernon, BC in the Summer of 2004 taking the role of CFO of a local tech company. In the spring of 2008, Darren saw an opportunity in the marketplace where as a contract CFO he would be able to spread his experiences and knowledge across a number of different companies and industries. Having a solid foundation in the Technology and Entertainment industries, he found a strong demand for part-time CFO services. He provided contract CFO services for a couple of years and then formed Finance Matters Consulting Inc. in the Spring of 2011.
Darren’s experience is primarily within financing, structuring and operating start-up and growing companies, spanning across a variety of industries such as entertainment, software development, and high-tech.
Darren is a family man with two teenaged sons and three grown step-daughters. He and his partner Annie own and manage Finance Matters from their home, based in the Okanagan Valley.
Juanita Gomes, CPA-CGA
Partner
Juanita, a Chartered Professional Accountant since 2009, joined the firm in 2011 as a senior associate providing advisory and leadership services at the Controller and Director levels. Her diverse background includes a variety of industries, most notably in manufacturing, retail, technology and software development, and non-profit. She has worked in several key leadership positions with early-stage, growth, and mature companies.
Juanita is a skilled communicator who connects easily with clients to provide thoughtful and meaningful business solutions. She provides creative options for business development, is strong in risk management, and strives to apply key ethical considerations.
She has also been heavily involved (both past and present) in volunteer and professional activities for various local arts organizations, most notably the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra. Personally, she enjoys and is committed to her family, her church, and building relationships with friends.
Darren and Juanita offer senior level accounting and advisor services with the support of Finance Matters’ key employees and contractors.
Jessica Boyczuk, CPA Candidate
Junior Associate
Jessica is a CPA Candidate who joined Finance Matters in the Fall of 2020. She quickly became a vital member of the team, bringing internal accounting experience from multiple industries, primarily in the technology sector and healthcare industry. Jessica can perform the senior accounting and bookkeeping tasks, but can also work with your Bookkeeper, imparting knowledge and guidance to your staff members.
Prior to joining the accounting profession, Jessica worked in multiple Interior Health pharmacy and finance departments, fueling her passion for helping others. She is confident in her skill set, easy-going, and is always looking to increase her professional knowledge. She is task orientated and will work diligently to support your team’s needs by focusing on increasing efficiency in accounting processes wherever possible.
She takes pride in giving back to the community and is enthusiastic about learning, nature, and developing new skills both personally and professionally.
Annie Hecimovic
Senior Bookkeeper, Manager
Annie has been a Certified Bookkeeper since 2018 at which time she joined the Finance Matters team. Bringing to the team her strong communicative skills, she has also honed her skills in a variety of industries including film and entertainment working with Sage, Quickbooks Desktop and with Quickbooks Online. She has done multiple Quickbooks Online seminars and obtained her QBO certification.
Prior to bookkeeping, Annie worked at Vancouver Law Courts for many years. Most recently in the capacity of Supreme Court Scheduler in the Judiciary. Her long and successful career developed many skills that are useful in the accounting world. Confidence, attention to detail and a real desire to make a difference.
Interested in working with us?
Find out how the Finance Matters team can help your business.